Issiaka
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "he who prostrates".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Issiaka. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Issiaka today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Issiaka births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Issiaka. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Issiaka. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2003 SSA rank
#11,568
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Issiaka: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Issiaka by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Issiaka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Issiaka
The name Issiaka originates from the West African regions of Mali and Niger, where it is a masculine given name of Mandinka and Soninke origin. It is derived from the Arabic name Isshaq, which itself comes from the Biblical name Isaac, meaning "he laughs" or "he rejoices" in Hebrew.
In the 7th century, the name Isaac gained popularity in the Arab world due to its association with the Islamic prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael). As Islam spread across North Africa and into West Africa, the name Issiaka became a common name among various ethnic groups in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Issiaka can be found in the Tarikh al-Sudan, a historical chronicle written by the Moroccan scholar and traveler Al-Sa'di in the 17th century. In this work, he mentions an individual named Issiaka who was a prominent figure in the Songhay Empire, which ruled over parts of present-day Mali and Niger.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Issiaka. One such person was Issiaka Amada Touré (1937-2021), a Malian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Mali from 1992 to 1993.
Another famous Issiaka was Issiaka Ouattara (1936-2009), a Burkinabé politician and diplomat who served as the President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso from 1992 to 2002.
In the realm of sports, Issiaka Ouédraogo (born 1989) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Burkinabé national team and various clubs in Europe.
Issiaka Koney (born 1980) is a Burkinabé former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs in Europe, including Marseille and Lens in France.
Issiaka Bazi (1942-2005) was a Nigerien politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Niger from 1996 to 1997.
While the name Issiaka has its roots in West Africa, it has also gained recognition in other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its historical origins and cultural significance remain deeply rooted in the regions of Mali and Niger.
People
Issiaka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Issiaka as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Issiaka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Issiaka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Issiaka going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Issiaka a common name?
We classify Issiaka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Issiaka most popular?
The single biggest year for Issiaka was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Issiaka is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Issiaka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Issiaka a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Issiaka in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Issiaka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Issiaka in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Issiaka can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Issiaka?
Find out how many Americans are named Issiaka on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.